


To all the boys (and girls) I've loved before

by dylanhun



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Bikerboy!Newt, High School, Humor, Loner!Thomas, M/M, tags will be added as the story continues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2019-09-02 09:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16784632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dylanhun/pseuds/dylanhun
Summary: “Look mate, this is really cute and I feel flattered, I do.” Newt started, his face in a cute frown. "But, it’s never going to happen I’m sorry.” He finished, grabbing something out of his back pocket.Thomas was confused, really confused. Was Newt Isaacsrejectinghim?His confusion only lasted for a minute though, because then he sawitand everything fell right into place.My letter.Thomas felt the world spinning around him, suddenly feeling very nauseous. All the sound went off and he couldn’t hear anything anymore. He got a last glimpse of Newt standing in front of him, the love letter he wrote for him 3 years ago in his right hand, before everything went black in front of his eyes.--------------------------The main idea is taken from the book 'To all the boys I've loved before', but all the rest is mine.





	1. Books Books Books

Thomas has always been obsessed with books. As a kid, he used to go to the library at least once a week to read books until it was time to go home. He loved to get lost in other worlds and read about crazy adventures that were almost impossible to happen in the real world. Books made him feel happy and safe, because sometimes it was nice to escape his actual (pretty pitiful) life.

And after his mother died, he felt like books were the only thing he could turn to - besides his family of course. Thomas loved his sisters and his father and they had always been a very close family, but besides them, he preferred to be alone and invisible.

“The Fault in Our Stars, Tom? again?” his younger sister enthusiastically jumped next to him on the bed, getting comfortable on one of his cushions.

Thomas sighed. He loved his sister but he didn’t like getting interrupted during his reading sessions. Especially when he was reading one of his guilty pleasures. Yeah, he was also a sucker for teenage love stories, which was quite ironic since he’s never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before. He also wasn’t planning on getting involved soon, because getting involved meant opening up to someone, really liking that person and then losing them afterwards. Something Thomas definitely wanted to avoid. He did like to fantasize about having relationships, but that was only in his head, so it was never real. Fantasies were good, reality wasn’t.

“We don’t judge other people, Lea. Remember that,” Thomas said wisely, ignoring the blush that was creeping on his cheeks.

His sister rolled her eyes as she usually did with Thomas’ remarks. They had a special bond.

“You’re so boring sometimes.” She stated, typing absentmindedly on her phone. _Love you too sis_ , he thought. Lea could be really blunt sometimes.

“I am not!” Thomas said offended, throwing one of his stuffed animals (yes, he still owned stuffed animals) to her head, making her drop her phone. His sister gasped, immediately throwing it equally as hard at his head. 

“You’re so dead!” Thomas shouted. He started poking her in her stomach, making her tumble over, trying to shield her stomach from his hands. She was laughing hysterically, begging Thomas to stop. After 5 minutes of torturing his sister and forcing her to say sorry a thousand times, he decided that she had suffered enough, getting a grateful ‘thank you’ from his sister while she was trying to regain her breath.

“Thomas, I love you, I really do,” Lea started hesitantly after a couple minutes of silence, “but… it’s a Saturday night and you’re reading a tragic teenage drama in your bedroom… You’re boring” She ended her sentence with an innocent shrug.

Thomas groaned, frustrated that they were on the ‘you’re boring’ topic again. Being 17 didn’t mean he had to go out every weekend, getting drunk out of his mind with friends he didn’t even have. He liked his alone time. At least he was educating himself and not knocking up some teenage girl.

“Lea, I love you, I really do. But stop trying to change me, please? I like spending my Saturday nights at home, that’s just who I am, okay?” He said nicely, really hoping that she would drop the subject now and go back to whatever she was doing on her Instagram. He really wanted to finish this chapter (even though he already read it 6 times already).

She sighed, clearly accepting his answer. Thomas felt victorious.

“Fine, Tom. If you’re happy, I guess.” She shrugged, getting off the bed and out of his room.

_Finally_ , he thought. He got back to reading his book, falling asleep shortly after ( ~~and not having a dream about Ansel Elgort~~ ).

Even though Thomas barely had any friends, he loved going to school. Okay, there were some people he much rather avoided, but he loved learning new things and school was pretty much perfect for that. He was also quite smart and got good grades, which was also really nice. He usually walked around school alone, observing and laughing with all the drama around him. He did have one friend, Minho, but he was on the track team and one of the most popular guys at school. He was always very busy with practice and just being popular in general, so they mostly hung out after school.

He always thought it was funny how they were the complete opposite but still got along so well. They had known each other since kindergarten and Minho was the only one who knew what Thomas had been through with his mom. It happened almost 8 years ago, so Thomas didn’t remember that much. But, he did remember Minho leaving sweet drawings on his desk and calling Thomas’ house to go out and play, so Thomas had some distraction. Things have changed now and they’re both going a different way, but Thomas will always consider him his friend. Minho genuinely was a very good guy.

During lunch, Thomas would sit on the bleachers, reading a book in the warm and inviting sun. Sometimes, Minho would join him when he didn’t have practice, but the season was almost starting so he had practice almost every day now. Even the thought of running everyday made Thomas exhausted. Sports weren’t really his thing, obviously.

Today was nothing different, he was sitting on the bleachers again, eating his lunch while reading a very exciting chapter of a book he bought last week. When he heard a pair of shoes coming his way, he looked up, annoyed, not in the mood for anyone to sit close to him.

_Newt Isaacs?_

Newt Isaacs was currently walking directly towards him, all leather jacket and blond hair and confidence, looking him straight in the eye. Thomas started looking around in panic, no clue of what was happening. The last time he had made eye contact with Newt was at a birthday party three years ago ~~(aka the best moment of his life).~~ Newt stopped in front of him, and now Thomas was really panicking because Newt was going to talk to him and he definitely wasn’t ready for this. They never talked, never. Newt was popular and hot and looking amazing in his tight leather pants and Thomas felt like he was ready to die.

“Look mate, this is really cute and I feel flattered, I do.” Newt started, his face in a cute frown. "But, it’s never going to happen I’m sorry.” He finished, grabbing something out of his back pocket.

Thomas was confused, really confused. Was Newt Isaacs _rejecting_ him?

His confusion only lasted for a minute though, because then he saw _it_ and everything fell right into place.

_My letter._

Thomas felt the world spinning around him, suddenly feeling very nauseous. All the sound went off and he couldn’t hear anything anymore. He got a last glimpse of Newt standing in front of him, the love letter he wrote for him 3 years ago in his right hand, before everything went black in front of his eyes.


	2. Let's date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the responses!  
> It really motivated me to write the next chapter, so here it is <3

Thomas felt strong hands grabbing his shoulders, and suddenly his whole body was shaking. He tried to open his eyes, the bright sunlight making them close again immediately. When he tried to open them again, he was literally greeted by an angel. The angel had golden locks and big brown eyes, but it was also wearing a worried frown and trying to communicate something. Its mouth was moving but Thomas couldn’t make out he words. He felt lightheaded and nauseous and that’s when he realized that he had just passed out.

He passed out.

In front of Newt Isaacs.

Who had read his love letter from three years ago.

After what felt like forever, he could see clear again and Newt _fucking_ Isaacs was hovering over him, his hands still on Thomas’ shoulders and his face way too close for Thomas to properly function. He was frowning again, worriedness written all over his face. His beautiful, angelic face. Thomas felt like he could pass out again.

“Mate, are you alright?” Newt asked when Thomas finally had enough strength to sit up straight, feeling like the biggest loser to exist. It wasn’t like the letter was embarrassing enough.

“You-” before Thomas could finish his sentence, he spotted someone in the distance coming towards them.

Aris.

Oh, my god, he was holding the letter. He was holding the love letter he wrote for him not less than a year ago. His sister’s ex-boyfriend had just read the sappiest love confession ever from his ex-girlfriends’ brother. No freaking way.

Thomas wanted to die. He couldn’t handle any more confrontations, not today. Thomas panicked, and the only logical thing to do was to grab Newts face and kiss him fiercely on the mouth. Before Newt could give any sort of reaction, he pulled away and got up as quickly as he could, grabbing all his stuff and running away to the nearest toilets he could find.

This was officially one of the worst days of his life. Did he just kiss Newt Isaacs? How did they get the letters? Thomas had a very secret place for those letters that no one knew about. It was hidden in a special box, far in the back of his closet.

Whenever Thomas had a crush on someone, those feelings where so strong that he had to find a way to let them out. He always did this by writing everything in a love letter, addressed and everything. But, he would never send them. Thomas has had four big crushes in his life, and now that he was thinking about it. The other two must’ve also gotten the letters.

He groaned loudly, still hiding in one of the toilet stalls. At least, the other two weren’t students on his school. The first person was a girl from a camp he went to when he was 10. It was a special camp for children who had lost their parents or a parent on a very early age. The girl was called Elise Schonau, she had also lost her mother due to cancer and they got along very well. Back then, Thomas had thought that she was very pretty and nice, and he needed to write all his feelings down. It was as a matter of fact, the first love letter he wrote.

The other letter was also dedicated to a girl who he went to prom with when he was 13 years old. It was all very cliché and childish, but he still felt like he was truly in love back then, which resulted in a second love letter. The girl transferred to another school at the end of the year and Thomas had been heartbroken.

He had written the love letter for Newt when he was 14-year-old. They were both at the same birthday party, and the first time Thomas had laid eyes on Newt, he had known that he felt something for boys as well. He remembered Newt’s adorable face and big eyes, dressed in a suit that was way too big for him. They had made eye contact twice that night, and every time they locked eyes, Thomas felt warm and fuzzy inside. They never actually talked though. Newt was one of the popular guys and, like Thomas also very close with Minho. Thomas would never forget the moment he saw Newt getting of his motorcycle, taking off his helmet and running a hand through his hair while lighting a cigarette. It was one of the best moments of his life.

The last love letter he ever wrote was for Aris. Aris had always been his neighbour and they used to play together every day. When they got older, they still hung out a lot - but two years ago, Aris started dating his older sister Teresa. They still did things together, and they really tried to include him in their relationship, but sometimes it was just really awkward. Not to mention the fact that Thomas had the biggest crush on Aris. Aris was amazingly handsome and they had the same stupid humour, so every time he thought about having a relationship with someone, he imagined it being with Aris.

Last week, his sister had broken up with Aris because she was leaving for college and apparently long distance relationships were doomed to fail. Aris had been devastated and things have been even more awkward since then. And now that Aris had read his letter, he had no idea if he could ever face him again. He probably thought that he wanted them to be together, which he would never even think about (in real life anyway). He would never do that to his sister. Never.

Thomas had been hiding in the bathroom for half an hour now, wishing he could just stay there forever. But, life sucks and it was time to face the real world again. He had French class to go to. He got out of the bathroom, praying he would survive the end of this day and avoid running into Newt or Aris.

\----------------------------------------------------- 

He knew that Aris would want to talk to him tonight, so he texted his father that he would study in the library. The longer he could avoid the conversation, the better.

He was pretty much all by himself in the library, except for two people who were there all the time. They both gave him a nod and Thomas nodded back, accepting his fate that he was indeed one of them. One of the loners.

After two hours, Thomas was still very focused on his Chemistry homework. He noticed someone sitting across from him, but he didn’t look up – not letting anything distract him.

“Thomas.”

Oh, god. He could distinguish that British accent from anywhere.

He slowly looked up, and there he was, Newt Isaacs, staring right back at him. Could this day get any worse?

“Newt? What are you doing here?” He whispered hastily, feeling his cheeks heat up.

“I passed by your house and your sister told me you were here. We really need to talk, mate,” Newt said, barely trying to keep his voice down. Thomas hated his perfect accent.

Thomas felt like there was no way that he could skip this conversation. He couldn’t come up with any excuses.

“Fine, let’s go outside.”

\---------------------------------------- 

When they got outside, Newt immediately lit up a cigarette and leaned on his motorcycle, looking like the coolest person to walk the earth. Everything he did seemed so effortless.

“I just wanted to make things clear again, Thomas. You and me-” He pointed between them, “It’s not going to happen. I’m still sort of dating someone so…” Newt said, running a hand through his hair. Thomas wasn’t affected by any of this, not at all.

“Sort of?” Thomas questioned.

“Yeah, we’re on a break right now because she wants to be with a college student. But I’m sure she’ll come back to me in no time.” Newt said confidently. But it seemed more like he was convincing himself that this would happen. Thomas felt kind of sorry for him.

“I’m not interested in you, Newt” He then said, casually leaning against the wall with his hands in his pocket. He definitely wasn’t trying to look as cool as Newt. Not at all.

Newt frowned. “You wrote me a love letter and you kissed me, but you’re not interested?”

Thomas rolled his eyes. “That letter was from three years ago, Newt. And I kissed you because I saw Aris walking towards us with his love letter, so I panicked.”

Newt held his hands up, like he didn’t understand what Thomas was saying. “Wait, hold on… You wrote two love letters?”

“Four actually, to be precise.”

“Wow. You’re a real player, mate.” Newt grinned. “I don’t feel special anymore now.” He joked, putting out his cigarette and throwing it in the nearest garbage can. At least he was thinking about the environment.

Thomas didn’t actually know what to say anymore, so he just stood there.

“This Aris person, wasn’t he dating your sister?” Newt suddenly seemed to realize, and Thomas groaned internally because he didn’t want to talk about this.

“Yes, they broke up a week ago though. But still, it’s very embarrassing. He probably thinks I’m in love with him right now” Thomas felt his stomach turn again at the thought of running into Aris, or at his sister finding out about the letter.

“But, you’re not?”

“Of course I’m not, it was just a stupid crush,”

Newt nodded knowingly, and it looked like he was thinking about something. Thomas just wanted to be over with this conversation. He couldn’t believe he got rejected _twice_ by Newt Isaacs in one day. He just wanted to be invincible again.

“You coming or?” Newt asked suddenly and it seemed like Thomas had been dreaming again because Newt was already sitting on his motorcycle, holding two helmets.

“Err... I can walk, thanks.”

“Come on, Tommy. “

_Tommy?_

“Ugh, fine”

Thomas hesitantly took one of the helmets, settling behind Newt on the motorcycle. They both put on their helmets and Thomas lightly put his hands on Newt’s waist. He couldn’t deny that being so close to Newt felt amazing, even though he was scared out of his mind to be driving a motorcycle. Newt turned around to give him a reassuring look and Thomas just put his thumbs up like the loser he was.

He was going to regret his.

\---------------------------

Newt turned out to be a very safe driver and they got to Thomas’ place safely (or he just drove very slowly because every time he drove up the speed, Thomas would almost choke his waist). Just before Thomas was ready to open his front door; he was stopped by Newt’s hand on his arm. He turned around again, ignoring the warmth he felt at the spot where Newt had touched him.

“Hey, I think I have an idea… I mean, if you would agree to do it,” Newt said nervously and this was definitely the first time he ever saw Newt being nervous. Thomas quirked his eyebrow at him, signalling him to keep on talking.

“What if we pretended we were dating? When Ashley found out about our kiss she totally freaked out. It would be a great way to make her jealous.”

Wait, what? Did Thomas hear this right?

“Are you serious? What would I get out of this?” Thomas had to ask because he wasn’t going to be used as a pawn.

“Aris would stop thinking that you’re in love with him,” Newt stated. “Plus, if your sister ever finds out, she wouldn’t think that you were trying to steal him or anything, because you would be dating me.”

Thomas immediately wanted to argue that he would never do that to his sister, but he just shook his head.

“…I don’t know, Newt.”

“Just... Think about it, okay?” Newt asked hopefully. It seemed like he really wanted to do this.

“Fine, I will.” Thomas said because he couldn’t resist the way the blond was looking at him.

Newt breathed a small ‘thank you’, giving him a grateful look. He waved Thomas goodbye and put his helmet back on. Just as he was getting ready to leave, he spotted Aris walking to his house. Aris was looking at them with a frown, seemingly confused and Newt waved at him before driving away. He fucking waved at him.

Thomas quickly entered his house, sighing loudly as he leaned against his door.

What was he going to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://data.whicdn.com/images/314070746/large.jpg
> 
> This is how I imagine Newt in this series!
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/pin/289989663483284523/?lp=true
> 
> & this is what Thomas looks like.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate all the love and comments <3


	3. Let's date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the responses guys!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter <3

Thomas couldn’t sleep that night, his mind constantly thinking about all the events that took place that day. He went from being practically invisible to the outside world – to being asked by Newt Isaacs to fake date him. This was more than his usual peaceful mind could conduct. He couldn’t deny that Newt’s arguments weren’t valid, but was he actually ready for a life in the spotlight? It took hours for Thomas to finally find his sleep, the morning light already glimpsing through his curtains.

At least, he knew exactly what he was going to do.

Thomas was utterly exhausted, strutting around like a zombie through the hallways. Sleep was very important for him and having lack of it had put him in a grungy mood. It also didn’t help that he could literally feel everyone’s eyes on him ever since he entered the school. Was something wrong with his face? Or did everyone know that he had fainted in front of Newt Isaacs, only to kiss him directly afterwards and run away like the fucking loser he was? It was probably the latter. He decided to shrug it off though, since he really wasn’t _bothered_ today. He just wanted to go home and sleep forever. But first, he had another mission.

Find Newt.

After the awfully long day at school and looking for Newt during every free period, he finally spots him at the bleachers, looking ridiculously attractive again. He was wearing tight black pants with a jeans button up shirt, his sleeves rolled up so his long pale arms were exposed and – damn even his fucking wrists were attractive. Also, was that boy reading a book? Thomas is ready to combust then and there but he decides to compose himself- not in the mood to embarrass him for a second time, and starts roaming towards were Newt was sitting.

Newt spots him directly when he looks up from his book, the sun giving a golden glow to his hair, and Thomas gives him a small wave (that probably looked ridiculous) before settling next to Newt on the bleachers.

“I’m in.” Thomas says then, getting straight to the point and acting as cool and collected as he could. Meanwhile, he was dying on the inside, hoping he wouldn’t regret ever agreeing to this. But, it was too late to back out now. He was going to pretend to be Newt’s boyfriend.

Newt just grins at Thomas’ words, all perfect teeth and shiny big brown eyes- and before Thomas can fully register what is happening, he’s greeted by soft and plump lips on his own.

Newt is _kissing_ him.

Thomas eyes widen – he was obviously not expecting this. He pulls back after what seems like forever (or 10 seconds), looking around to see if anyone had seen them. Not that it mattered or anything.

“We need rules.”

* * *

Half an hour and lots of protests from Newt later- they have come up with five rules.

  1. No kissing
  2. Don’t tell anyone of the fake relationship, not even best friends or close relatives
  3. Newt picks up Thomas from school every day
  4. Thomas joins Newt at social gatherings whenever he feels like it
  5. Newt must watch all the Harry Potter movies with him at least once.



The first one was _obviously_ Thomas’ idea. It was also the rule that got the most protest from Newt because ‘ _how would they know that we’re dating?_ ’ and ‘ _where’s the fun in that?_ ’.

But Thomas insisted. This was his first (fake) relationship and unlike for Newt- kissing meant something to him and he wanted it to be special. Thomas did agree that Newt had the permission to touch him whenever he wanted to (in public of course), sighing when Newt had asked if he was permitted to touch his ass because that was- according to him- the only way that people would know that they were dating. 

Newt had proposed the third rule, much to Thomas alikeness. He hated driving and he hated walking or riding his bike, so this rule was perfect for him- if it was with a car, not with that incredibly dangerous machine of death. Newt had rolled his excessively, but had agreed anyway. 

Thomas hated parties, or he didn’t know if he hated them because he had never attended them before- but he definitely wasn’t excited when Newt insisted on him joining every party he went to. This would be his way of showing Thomas off to the students and of course especially Ashley. Thomas had _almost_ forgotten about her. From Minho’s stories, those parties happened quite frequently and were quite brutal. It wasn’t like Newt could force him out of his house, so they agreed that Thomas would only go if he felt like it, which was probably never.

At one point in their conversation, Thomas had made a huge reference to Harry Potter which got nothing but a confused reacting from Newt.

“You have never seen Harry Potter before??” Thomas was gaping at him in unbelief.

Newt just shrugged at the question, clearly not thinking it was a big deal that he had never seen one of the best masterpieces ever created in modern history. Thomas couldn’t have picked up the pen more rapidly, and that’s how they got their fifth rule.

“I have one last rule,” Newt says after finishing his second cigarette. “You’re coming on the school trip with me.”

Thomas gulped. Every year, the school organized a huge trip to some sort national park with lots of water activities and… other activities. It had a reputation for being the number one spot for losing your virginity, something Thomas couldn’t even dare to think about. He wasn’t planning on losing it soon.

“fine,” Thomas says. Only because the trip was three long months away, and Thomas was pretty positive that this whole thing would be over by then.

They both signed the contract, shook hands (Thomas ignoring Newt’s muffled laughter when he put his hand out), and Thomas decided to call it day.

This had been exhausting.

* * *

“Wow, who’s that?” His sister says the next morning, clearly in awe of the huge fucking jeep that was parked in front of their house. Thomas was more in awe of the person that was driving it. Newt was leaning against the front door, a small grin on his beautiful face. He had his arms crossed and it looked like he had been waiting for a while.

“That’s Newt Isaacs, he’s driving us to school,” Thomas replies, trying to hide his excitement.

Newt opened the backdoor of the car for his little sister, who simply nodded at him before hopping in. He did the same thing for Thomas- like the true gentlemen he (apparently?) was, before getting behind the steering wheel.

“And who’s this lovely young lady?” Newt asks after starting the engine. He puts his arm behind Thomas’ chair to manoeuvre his way out of Thomas’ driveway, his face in a focused frown. His arm had brushed Thomas’ hair slightly in the process and Thomas had almost moaned. How can someone look so hot while driving?

“That’s Lea, my baby sister,” Thomas decides to reply for her.

“Excuse me, I’m not a baby Tom,” She starts, clearly annoyed with Thomas’ pick of words. “And who are you again?” He sighs, Lea has always had a big mouth. She had so much in common with their mom, who was never afraid to speak out.

“I’m Newt, Thomas’ boyfriend,” Newt says casually like he was talking about the fucking weather and Thomas almost chokes on his yoghurt. Newt wasn’t fucking around with this whole fake dating thing. His sister looked more _relieved_ than surprised, mumbling a small ‘finally’ and returned to her phone, as always. Thomas didn’t know if he should feel offended or happy.

* * *

Newt definitely wasn’t fucking around, Thomas decided again when Newt put his hand in Thomas’ back pocket before entering the cafeteria. He flinched in surprise, making Newt release his hand.

“What are you doing?”, he hisses at Newt, trying not to make a scene in front of the whole school. Students were already giving them strange looks because ‘since when had Newt decided to hang out with the biggest loner in school?’

Newt rolled his eyes. “How else am I going to make it clear that we’re dating, Tommy?” 

Thomas didn’t have an answer to that so he nodded hesitantly when Newt asked permission to put his hand back in his pocket, and that’s how they walked through the cafeteria, Newt as confident as always and Thomas fucking terrified with all the looks they were getting. He was officially in the spotlight now. This was really happening.

When they reached Newt’s table, Thomas let out a small squeaky sound as he was turned around by Newt smoothly, straight into his arms. Thomas was surrounded by Newt’s scent and body warmth and he wanted to die and go to heaven. Newt leaned in even closer then (if that was even possible), his mouth coming up to Thomas’ ear.

“You’re doing great,” he whispered breathlessly, his mouth brushing Thomas’ ear. Thomas whimpered embarrassingly at the contact, hating the effect that Newt had on him. To make things even worse, Newt planted a lingering kiss on his cheek before pulling away and sitting down at his table, grabbing Thomas’ hand to sit down next to him. Thomas was probably as red as a fucking tomato right now.

God, he needed to get his shit together.


	4. Truth hurts

Thomas has always loved to bake. Ever since he was a little boy, he baked different kind of pastries every Saturday with his mom. Even after her death, he kept the tradition going. Today, he decides to go for vegan brownies since he stopped eating meat for a year now and is trying to cut off dairy as well. Thomas sees baking as a way of meditation, it clears his mind and gets rid of all the anxiety he builds up in a week. It’s also very delicious, of course.

He was humming to ‘Solo’ by Demi Lovato when he heard the bell ring. Thomas shrugged. _Maybe Lea forgot her keys_ , he thought as he danced his way to the front door. What he definitely didn’t expect, was Newt Isaacs standing at his door with a mischievous grin that could mean nothing but trouble.

“Don’t you look fancy, my love”, Newt stated, looking Thomas up and down. Thomas followed his gaze, realizing he was wearing a ridiculous apron that said: ‘may the forks be with you’ and his inner footwear, which was not really, considered sexy.

It was safe to say that Thomas looked utterly ridiculous. He awkwardly folded his arms and tried to balance one foot behind the other, pretending he wasn’t bothered by his own chose of clothing.

“What are you doing here, Newt?” Thomas groaned then, moody because his weekly ritual was being disturbed.

“I’m taking you to a party, Tommy, so you better change. Or never mind, I totally love this outfit.” Newt was full on laughing now, clearly very sarcastic and Thomas was feeling more embarrassed by the second.

“Wow, can’t believe I ever had a crush on you, asshole.” He rolled his eyes at Newt, who immediately stopped laughing, pouting at Thomas instead.

“That’s mean,” He stated with his big brown puppy eyes, casually leaning against the doorframe. Unlike Thomas, Newt’s choice of clothing was ridiculously attractive.

“I’m not going to a party with you, Newt.” Thomas declared, making his way back to the kitchen with Newt hot on his heels. He had to go check on his brownies. “As you can see, I’m very busy.”

“But it’s in the contract; you have to come with me.” The blonde took a seat at the kitchen counter, taking in Thomas’ house. He was wearing a deep-cut black shirt, which fitted his body nicely and his cologne was to die for. But Thomas kept his cool, he wasn’t going out tonight.

“I know, and the contract also says that I only have to go if I _really_ want to. And I don’t want to, so…” He replied, opening the oven to check if the brownies were still alive and kicking.

“Do you ever want to go to a party, Tommy?” Newt questioned him, making it seem like he already knew the answer.

 _Not really_ , Thomas thought.

Before he could answer, his father entered the kitchen, greeting him with a big hug.

“Is that Newt Isaacs?” He said, turning to Newt with a huge grin. Thomas groaned again, now his father was getting involved in all of this. “You’re even taller than me now.”

“Good evening, Mister Edison, it is indeed me,” Newt chuckled, shaking his hand. They grinned at each other, making Thomas roll his eyes. Newt’s mother was also a doctor who worked at the same hospital as his dad, so his father had known Newt since he was a little boy.

“May I ask what you’re doing here, son?” His father questioned while dipping his finger in the leftover brownie batter and putting it in his mouth. He grimaced, clearly thinking it would have a different taste. Thomas tried not to laugh at his face.

“I’m taking Thomas to a party tonight, sir,” Newt answered simply, tapping his fingers on the counter as if he was in a hurry. Thomas immediately started shaking his head, because no he was not taking him to a party tonight. No fucking way.

“I’m not going, dad. I still have to finish the brownies I promised Lea,” He quickly said, pretending to clean up the kitchen.

“Oh, that’s lovely, Newt. I’m glad Thomas is going out for once,” his father said, completely ignoring Thomas’ statement.

Thomas blinked at his father, “But... dad, no I’m not going,” he protested.

“Yes, you are, sweetie. Lea and I can finish the brownies tonight. You go and have fun!” His father was practically pushing him out of the kitchen by now, “but please get changed, you look like a crazy person.”

Finally, Thomas gave up, stomping to his room like a little kid. He was going to regret this.

.

.

. 

“This is horrible.”

The party turned out to be a house party of one of Newt’s friends. The house was enormous and packed with almost every student at his school. The music was excessively loud and the house already smelled like sex and sweat. They were currently standing in the ridiculously huge hallway, as Thomas was trying to delay the moment where he had to be social as long as possible.

“Come on, relax Tommy. It will be fun,” Newt tried to reassure him, softly touching his shoulder. Thomas faked a smile, not quite sure if they both had the same definition for ‘having fun’. Newt’s hand on his shoulder did help him to relax a bit though.

“Oh right, I forgot.” Before Thomas could register what was happening, Newt took out his phone and kissed Thomas on the cheek, the flash of his phone practically blinding Thomas in the process. Did he really just take a selfie of them?

“This will be your new background from now on,” he showed Thomas the stupid picture-who still felt the other boys’ lips on his face- before putting the picture as his background. Sometimes, Thomas couldn’t believe he was actually doing this. A week ago, he was still the invisible Thomas Edison, now he was Newt Isaacs fake boyfriend.

“I look stupid.”

“Well, I think you look cute, you always do,” Newt said casually- as if this wasn’t a huge compliment for Thomas- grabbing his hand and dragging him to the living room. “Come on, Tommy.”

.

.

.

Of course, Newt knew everyone in the freaking room, shaking hands with people while Thomas tagged along very awkwardly, giving small waves and nodding at people he had never seen before. Everyone seemed very enthusiastic about them dating and this party didn’t seem so bad after all. Maybe he was even going to have fun tonight, who knows?

“I’m going to get us some drinks, okay? I’ll be right back, Tommy,” Newt squeezed his hand before running off to god knows where. Thomas looked around the room awkwardly, realizing he was all alone and didn’t know anybody. He was the invisible kid again.

“Thomas?”

Thomas turned around abruptly at the sound of his name, almost knocking down someone’s drink in the process. Clumsy was his middle name after all.

“Minho!” He exclaimed enthusiastically as he noticed the other boy.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes first, Thomas Edison at a party? Is this real life?” Minho joked after giving him a small hug. It had been a while since they talked, Thomas had really missed him.

“Yeah, I still can’t believe it either,” he replied truthfully. He really couldn’t.

“I guess that’s what you sign up for when you start dating the most popular guy in school, huh?”

Thomas chucked awkwardly. “Ha, yeah I guess so.”

“I didn’t even know you guys knew each other, you never told me anything about him- neither did he… I was quite surprised when I heard you guys were dating.” Minho stated. It seemed like he was still surprised.

 _Same over here_ , Thomas thought. Minho was giving him very skeptical looks and Thomas was starting to feel nervous. He felt like Minho was looking right through him.

Before Thomas could answer, they were interrupted by Newt- drinks in both hands.

“Oh, hey Minho!”, he greeted him while handing one of the drinks to Thomas. Thomas took a sip, surprised that Newt got him his favorite drink.

They started chatting casually for a while, Minho asking way too many questions about them. Thankfully, they had come up with a waterproof story to make sure that they wouldn’t get caught in their little drama-play. Thomas was even having a good time-surprisingly-until he felt Newt freeze beside him, tightening his grip on his cup. He looked up at Newt, who was staring at something in the distance. Thomas decided to follow his gaze.

He was greeted with a beautiful brunette, who seemed to be talking to a guy that looked much older than her. She looked exactly like Newt’s type; naturally gorgeous and wearing tight leather pants.

_His ex._

_Oh._

_Ooh._

_Well, this is awkward,_ Thomas thought, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Before he could even think about something to say, Newt excused himself and stormed off, clearly going her direction. Thomas decided to play it cool, keeping the conversation going and pretending he wasn’t bothered by Newt’s reaction.

It’s not like he liked Newt or anything, he was just afraid that Newt would do something stupid and blow their cover. He was really starting to like this whole fake-dating thing and it had been really easy to ignore Aris this past week.

After what felt like forever, Newt returned to them.

“Tommy, you want to grab something to eat?”, he sounded desperate and angry at the same time. He grabbed Thomas’ hand, already tugging at it slowly. It seemed like he couldn’t wait to get out of here.

“Yeah, sure,’ Thomas answered quickly, hoping Minho wouldn’t catch on the weird vibe. They both said their goodbye’s to Minho, and Thomas promised to meet up with him again soon.

.

.

.

Thomas and Newt were sitting in a local diner, sharing a pack of fries. They didn’t talk about what had happened at the party, only having a casual conversation. Newt’s phone didn’t stop buzzing, getting both boys more frustrated by the minute.

“Is that her?” Thomas finally decided to ask after Newt’s phone buzzed once again. Newt sighed at the question, throwing his phone on the table.

“Who are you talking about?” He decided to play dumb, but Thomas was having none of it, shooting him a look.

“Okay, fine it’s her... I just really don’t understand her… She practically ignores me at the party, and now she’s sending me a thousand text messages,” he said, frustration in his voice.

“Can’t you just reply to her?” Thomas responded like it was the most obvious thing to do.

“Nah, I’ll just call her when I get home, I guess,” Newt answered casually.

Thomas froze. They still called each other?

“Wait… You guys still call each other?”

“Yeah, sometimes…”

Thomas decided to keep his mouth shut, but he was pretty sure that his face wasn’t hiding his judgment. He thought it was pretty weird that Newt still had contact with his ex, especially if he was trying to convince her that he was happy with someone else.

“What is it, Tommy?” Newt gave him a dreadful look, crossing his arms on the table.

“Nothing… I just think it’s weird you still have contact with her. She must think ‘this’ is a big joke,” Thomas answered, pointing between them. “Didn’t know you were still that obsessed with her.”

Newt let out a fake chuckle. “You’re the one to talk, you’ve never even had a boyfriend or girlfriend before.”

Thomas dropped his fries at Newt’s comment, pushing his chair back.

“Wow... Okay. I think it’s time to go home, Newt, “he said, unable to hide the hurt in his voice.

Thomas didn’t know why but he felt so angry and hurt at the moment. He just wanted to go home, read a romantic novel and go back to his own fantasy world.

“Wait, Thomas-I… I didn’t mean to upset you. It just hasn’t been easy for me. She was my first girlfriend, you know.” Newt looked like he was genuinely upset, and Thomas started to feel bad. Maybe Newt was right, he never had a relationship before, so he couldn’t be the one to judge others.

“Fine, I get it… But if you want to make this relationship seem legit, you need to stop calling her. Otherwise, you’ll never get her jealous.”

“Yeah,I guess you’re right. I won’t call her anymore,”

They finished their fries in comfortable silence and Thomas asked Newt to bring him back home.

.

.

.

“Can I ask you something?” Newt asked when they arrived at Thomas’ place, leaning back in his seat. Thomas nodded, signaling him to go on.

“How come you never had a girlfriend or boyfriend before?”

Thomas gulped. He wasn’t expecting this type of question.

“Isn’t that obvious? Nobody has ever been interested in me,”

“Oh, come on Tommy, that’s a huge lie and you know it. I know at least three people who had crushes on you,”

The first question that popped into Thomas’ mind was _how the hell Newt knew about this_ since he always thought that Newt didn’t really know about him before all this. He also knew that Newt was right and that he may have had some people interested in him, but he never took the step to a relationship.

“I- I don’t know. I just... I guess I’ve always been scared? After losing my mom… That feeling of losing someone, I never want to feel it again. Opening up to someone, loving someone and then losing them, it’s the worst…That’s why I’ve never had a relationship before.”

Thomas was surprised by his openness, he had never told anyone this kind of information about himself before. It was also the first time he realized the truth for himself.

“You’re very open and honest around me though,” Newt smiles that perfect smile at him and Thomas blushes, looking anywhere but into Newt’s eyes.

“Yeah, of course. Because this is all fake.”

Newt’s face falls and he turns back to his steering wheel, gripping it firmly.

“Right.”

There’s a tense silence after that and Thomas decides he’s done for the night.

“Alright… thanks for dropping me off, Newt. Bye,” he mumbles, getting out of the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update!
> 
> Hope there are still some readers out there :)


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